Government certification of the new air defense system S-350 Vityaz are about to be completed successfully and the first batch has begun to be manufactured, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said on Friday, TASS reported.

"The successful launches carried out on March 26 completed the government certification tests of the new air defense system S-350 Vityaz, expected to replace the S-300PS. Simultaneously the manufacturing of the first serial set has begun. It will be provided in 2019," Krivoruchko said.

The air defense system S-350 Vityaz developed by the concern Almaz-Antey for battlefield air defense has a maximum range of 60 kilometers and altitude of 30 kilometers. It is meant for hitting aerodynamic and ballistic targets. One system is armed with twelve air defense missiles.